{"id":7461,"date":"2026-01-28T09:42:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T09:42:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/?p=7461"},"modified":"2026-01-28T09:42:01","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T09:42:01","slug":"he-was-gone-then-his-familys-star-studded-tribute-left-the-world-speechless-vince-gill-confirms-icu-nurse-was-his-relative-pledges-funeral-support-and","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/?p=7461","title":{"rendered":"\u201cHE WAS GONE \u2014 THEN HIS FAMILY\u2019S STAR-STUDDED TRIBUTE LEFT THE WORLD SPEECHLESS.\u201d Vince Gill Confirms ICU Nurse Was His Relative, Pledges Funeral Support \u2014 And Fans Are Asking If He\u2019ll Sing the One Song He Always Uses to Say Goodbye In a stunning and deeply personal update to a story that has already shocked the sports and entertainment world, country legend Vince Gill \u2014 visibly shaken \u2014 confirmed that 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti, fatally shot during a federal law enforcement operation in Minneapolis, was his own relative. The revelation came just hours before Gill was due to appear at a major public event, turning what should have been a celebratory weekend into one of the most painful moments of his public life. Pretti\u2019s death \u2014 which has already sparked national outrage, protests, legal questions, and disputes over federal force and accountability \u2014 has become a focal point for debates about the use of force and how such incidents are handled, especially when video evidence seems to contradict official narratives. Now, as tributes flood in from fans, fellow nurses, community members, and late-night commentators alike, one question has begun to echo across social media and fan forums: \ud83d\udc49 Will Vince Gill perform the song he always chooses to honor loved ones he\u2019s lost \u2014 the one he sings at funerals and memorials \u2014 at Alex\u2019s service?.. WATCH VIDEO BEOW \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alex Pretti was shot by U.S. Border Patrol officers on Jan. 24 in Minneapolis<\/p>\n

Alex Pretti\u00a0was shot and killed by federal officers in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n

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On Jan. 24, the 37-year-old ICU nurse was fatally shot by U.S. Border Patrol officers during \u201ca targeted operation\u201d against \u201can illegal alien wanted for violent assault,\u201d Department of Homeland Security (DHS) assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin told PEOPLE in a statement.<\/p>\n

McLaughlin claimed that a man \u201capproached\u201d officers while armed with a handgun and \u201cviolently resisted\u201d as they attempted to disarm him. The victim was later identified as Pretti, a lawful gun owner with a permit, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O\u2019Hara said during a\u00a0press conference.<\/p>\n

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Witnesses have since shared videos that contradict the DHS\u2019 claims about the shooting,\u00a0including that\u00a0he appeared to\u00a0not have been armed at the time of his killing. In the wake of his death, Pretti\u2019s family released a\u00a0statement\u00a0in which they slammed the DHS\u2019 account of the shooting as \u201csickening lies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s everything to know about the late Alex Pretti.<\/p>\n

He grew up in Wisconsin<\/span><\/h2>\n
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\"Alex<\/div>\n<\/div>
Alex Pretti.<\/span>va.gov<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pretti grew up in Green Bay, Wis., per the\u00a0Associated Press.<\/p>\n

He attended Preble High School \u2014 where he played football, baseball and ran track \u2014 and graduated in 2006. Outside of sports, Pretti was a Boy Scout and sang in the Green Bay Boy Choir, the AP reported.<\/p>\n

Following his death, Pretti\u2019s high school classmate Rory Shefchek described him to PEOPLE as \u201cyour average all-American guy,\u201d noting his involvement in \u201ca lot of extracurriculars.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pretti was a University of Minnesota alum<\/span><\/h2>\n

Pretti attended the University of Minnesota, per a post on the school\u2019s official\u00a0Instagram. He graduated from the College of Liberal Arts in 2011.<\/p>\n

His family told the AP that Pretti, who they described as an \u201coutdoorsman,\u201d received his\u00a0bachelor\u2019s degree in biology, society and the environment.<\/p>\n

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He became a registered nurse in 2021<\/span><\/h2>\n
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A makeshift memorial in the area where Alex Pretti was shot dead by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.<\/span>ROBERTO SCHMIDT \/ AFP via Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pretti worked as a research scientist before ultimately returning to school to become a registered nurse, as his family told the AP. He also previously worked at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.<\/p>\n

Pretti became a registered nurse in January 2021, per his nursing license obtained by PEOPLE, and was working at the VA Medical Center at the time of his death.<\/p>\n

Pretti\u2019s colleague Dr. Dimitri Drekonja described him to PEOPLE as a \u201ckind guy\u201d and \u201cvery, very skilled nurse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Dr. Shaukat \u2014 who hired Pretti as a research assistant in 2014, worked with him until 2020 and wrote his recommendation for nursing school \u2014 told PEOPLE that he was \u201cjust a joy\u201d to work with.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was\u00a0just a really sweet person\u00a0that you could just talk to. No pretense. No complicated factors. Just who he was is how he came across,\u201d she said. \u201cHe was very supportive if you ever needed him to do something \u2014 you never had to think twice.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Pretti was killed by federal officers in Minneapolis in January 2026<\/span><\/h2>\n